Madeleine Stowe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Madeleine Stowe
Stowe in 2014
Born	(1958-08-18) 18 August 1958 (age 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–present
Spouse(s)	Brian Benben ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	1

Madeleine Stowe (born August 18, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in many movies and TV shows. Before becoming a big movie star, she worked mostly on television.

Her first major film role was in the 1987 crime-comedy movie Stakeout. After that, she starred in popular films like Revenge (1990), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), and 12 Monkeys (1995). She won an award for her acting in the 1993 film Short Cuts.

From 2011 to 2015, Madeleine Stowe played Victoria Grayson in the TV drama series Revenge on ABC. This role earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

Early life

Madeleine Stowe was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 18, 1958. She was the first of three children. She grew up in a part of Los Angeles called Eagle Rock.

Her father, Robert Stowe, was an engineer from Oregon. Her mother, Mireya, came from a well-known family in Costa Rica. Some of Madeleine's ancestors on her mother's side were important leaders in Costa Rica's history. For example, one of her great-great-grandfathers, José Joaquín Mora Porras, was the brother of a president. Another great-great-grandfather, Bruno Carranza, was also briefly a president.

Madeleine's father had a health condition called multiple sclerosis. She often went with him to his medical appointments.

When she was young, Madeleine wanted to be a concert pianist. She took piano lessons from age ten to eighteen. She later said that playing the piano helped her avoid spending time with other kids. Her piano teacher, Sergei Tarnowsky, believed in her talent. After he passed away, Madeleine decided to stop playing professionally. She felt it was time to be more social.

Acting career

Starting out in acting

Madeleine wasn't very interested in her college classes. She started performing in plays at a theater in Beverly Hills, California. A movie agent saw her in a play and offered her roles in TV shows and films.

In 1978, she made her first TV appearance in a police drama called Baretta. After that, she had guest roles in other TV shows. These included The Amazing Spider-Man, Barnaby Jones, and Little House on the Prairie. In the same year, she played Mary in the TV movie The Nativity.

She also starred in two TV miniseries: Beulah Land (1980) and The Gangster Chronicles (1981). On the set of The Gangster Chronicles, she met Brian Benben, who would later become her husband. She also appeared in TV films like Amazons (1984) and Blood & Orchids (1986).

Becoming a film star

Madeleine Stowe in 2002

In 1987, Madeleine Stowe got her first big movie role in Stakeout. She starred alongside Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez. The movie was very popular and was the number one film at the box office when it came out.

She continued to star in many films. In 1988, she was in Tropical Snow. She also worked with Mark Harmon in Worth Winning and with Kevin Costner in the thriller Revenge (1990). She appeared with Jack Nicholson in The Two Jakes in 1990. In 1991, she played a main role in the independent film Closet Land.

In 1992, she starred with Kurt Russell in the crime drama Unlawful Entry. That same year, Madeleine played Cora Munro in The Last of the Mohicans. She starred with Daniel Day-Lewis in this movie. Her performance was highly praised, and the film earned a lot of money. This role helped her become a very famous movie star.

She won an award for Best Supporting Actress from the National Society of Film Critics for her role in Short Cuts (1993). She also made a small appearance in Stakeout's sequel, Another Stakeout. The next year, Madeleine played a blind musician in the thriller Blink. She also starred in the neo-noir thriller China Moon and the Western film Bad Girls. In 1995, she played a helpful psychiatrist in the successful science-fiction movie 12 Monkeys. She was nominated for a Saturn Awards for this role.

Madeleine Stowe in 2008

In 1994, People magazine named Madeleine Stowe one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World."

In 1996, Madeleine took a break from acting to focus on her family. She lived on a ranch in Texas with her daughter, May, and her husband, Brian Benben. She returned to acting in 1998 with films like The Proposition and Playing by Heart. In 1999, she starred with John Travolta in The General's Daughter.

In 2001, she was in the science-fiction movie Impostor, which didn't do well at the box office. In 2002, she played Julia Moore in the war film We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson. She also starred in the action-comedy Avenging Angelo with Sylvester Stallone, which was not a big hit. In 2003, she played a mother trying to save her daughter from a strange group in the thriller Octane.

Recent acting work

Madeleine Stowe appeared in fewer movies and TV shows in the 2000s. She spent more time focusing on being a mother. She later said that she never planned to retire, but her focus was on her daughter.

She occasionally appeared in TV productions. In 2005, she starred in Saving Milly, a TV movie about a woman with Parkinson's disease. In 2007, she had a recurring role in the detective drama Raines on NBC. The show was canceled after a short time. In 2009, she starred in the Lifetime movie The Christmas Hope.

Stowe at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2011, Madeleine Stowe announced her return to acting. She began playing Victoria Grayson in the ABC drama series Revenge. She played the powerful leader of the Grayson family. The show started in September 2011 and was very popular. Madeleine's acting in this role received great reviews. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. In April 2012, People magazine included her in their annual "Most Beautiful Woman" list. The series Revenge ended in 2015 after four seasons.

In 2016, Madeleine Stowe was a guest host for movies on Turner Classic Movies. In 2019, she returned to acting in the Netflix musical drama series Soundtrack. She played an actress named Margot Weston. The series was canceled after one season.

Personal life

In 1982, Madeleine Stowe married Brian Benben. They met in 1981 while working on the TV miniseries The Gangster Chronicles. They have one daughter. Before living in Los Angeles, they lived on a ranch in Texas. She now lives in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 2008, Madeleine Stowe traveled to Haiti. She helped start a group called Artists for Peace and Justice, which helps people in Haiti. She is on the board of directors for this foundation.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Madeleine Stowe para niños